Nancy Pelosi has been using our tax dollars to fund flights for herself, friends, family, and colleagues through the U.S. Air Force. I'm surprised it isn't written in USAF protocol that this isn't allowed.

Pelosi Made Repeated Requests for Military Aircraft, Documents Show
Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents showing the requests, say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has treated the Air Force as her "personal airline."

FOXNews.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly requested military aircraft to shuttle her and her colleagues and family around the country, according to a new report from a conservative watchdog group.

Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents from a Freedom of Information request, said the correspondence shows Pelosi has abused the system in place to accommodate congressional leaders and treated the Air Force as her "personal airline."

Pelosi's office disputed the claim, pointing to White House policy enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks allowing for the House speaker to travel to his or her congressional district via military aircraft whenever possible for security reasons. Her office said she typically uses the same kind of aircraft used by her predecessor, Dennis Hastert.

But Judicial Watch said that Pelosi was notorious for making special demands for high-end aircraft, lodging last-minute cancellations and racking up additional expenses for the military.

The e-mails showed repeated attempts by Pelosi aides to request aircraft, sometimes aggressively, and by Department of Defense officials to accommodate them.

"I think that's above and beyond what other members of Congress are doing and what is expected of our elected officials," said Jenny Small, a researcher with the group.

In one e-mail, aide Kay King complained to the military that they had not made available any aircraft the House speaker wanted for Memorial Day recess.

"It is my understanding there are NO G5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable ... The Speaker will want to know where the planes are," King wrote.

In another, when told a certain type of aircraft would not be available, King wrote: "This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset Speaker."

Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said the report seemed to be based on only "a few e-mails," and defended the requests for military aircraft for her colleagues as a "function of the speaker's office." Elshami said at least one of the requests in the above e-mails referenced requests made for other members.

Pelosi's office noted that the Department of Defense ultimately makes all decisions on use of military aircraft for travel, and that Pelosi is "extraordinarily appreciative" of the department's effort to accommodate Congress.

House Speaker Issued Unprecedented Demands for Military Aircraft and Wasted Taxpayer Resources with Last Minute Cancellations

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Department of Defense (DOD) detailing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's multiple requests for military air travel. The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), include internal DOD email correspondence detailing attempts by DOD staff to accommodate Pelosi's numerous requests for military escorts and military aircraft as well as the speaker's last minute cancellations and changes. The following are a few highlights from the documents, which are linked in full below:

In response to a series of requests for military aircraft, one Defense Department official wrote, "Any chance of politely querying [Pelosi's team] if they really intend to do all of these or are they just picking every weekend?...[T]here's no need to block every weekend 'just in case'..." The email also notes that Pelosi's office had, "a history of canceling many of their past requests."
One DOD official complained about the "hidden costs" associated with the speaker's last minute changes and cancellations. "We have...folks prepping the jets and crews driving in (not a short drive for some), cooking meals and preflighting the jets etc."
The documents include a discussion of House Ethics rules and Defense Department policies as they apply to the speaker's requests for staff, spouses and extended family to accompany her on military aircraft. In May 2008, for example, Pelosi requested that her husband join her on a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) into Iraq. The DOD explained to Pelosi that the agency has a written policy prohibiting spouses from joining CODEL's into combat zones.
Documents obtained from the U.S. Army include correspondence from Speaker Pelosi's office requesting an Army escort and three military planes to transport Pelosi and other members of Congress to Cleveland, Ohio, for the funeral services of the late Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Pelosi noted in her letter of August 22, 2008, that such a request, labeled "Operation Tribute" was an "exception to standard policy."
The documents also detail correspondence from intermediaries for Speaker Pelosi issuing demands for certain aircraft and expressing outrage when requested military planes were not available. "It is my understanding there are no G5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable...The speaker will want to know where the planes are..." wrote Kay King, Director of the House Office of Interparliamentary Affairs. In a separate email, when told a certain type of aircraft would not be available, King writes, "This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset [s]peaker."
During another email exchange DOD staff advised Kay King that one Pelosi military aircraft request could not be met because of "crew rest requirements" and offered to help secure commercial travel. Kay King responded: "We appreciate the efforts to help the codel [sic] fly commercially but you know the problem that creates with spouses. If we can find another way to assist with military assets, we would like to do that."

Speaker Pelosi came under fire in 2007 for requesting a 42-seat Air Force carrier to ferry the Speaker and her staff back and forth between San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was allowed access to a 12-seat commuter jet for security reasons after the events of 9/11.

"Taken together, these documents show that Speaker Pelosi treats the Air Force like her personal airline," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Not only does Speaker Pelosi issue unreasonable requests for military travel, but her office seems unconcerned about wasting taxpayer money with last minute cancellations and other demands."

[URL="http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2009/PelosiAuthLetters-07.pdf)
DOD FOIA response letter (http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2009/DOD_pelosi_response_3_2009.pdf)
US Air Force Weekly Travel Reports (http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2009/230_Production.pdf"Documents regarding travel on military aircraft in the custody of the US Air Force
[URL="http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2009/Airforce_pelosi_documents_12_2008.pdf)
Pelosi authorization letters and CODEL participants lists from the US Army (http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2009/army_pelosi_response_1_2009.pdf)
Pelosi authorization letters and CODEL and Tribute documents from the US Navy (http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2009/navy_speakerjets_226-7.pdf)
DOD documents regarding former Speaker Dennis Hastert's use of military aircraft (http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2009/DOD_Hastert_2007.pdf)

NateR

03-13-2009, 06:12 PM

It wouldn't be so bad if President Obama wasn't constantly lambasting corporate executives for flying private jets that they purchased with their own company's money.

Yet, here we have a Democratic leader who treats the military like her own personal taxi service, all on the taxpayer's dime of course.:rolleyes:

rockdawg21

03-13-2009, 07:10 PM

Good point. I wonder if she was one of the members of Congress who blasted Ford/GM/Chrysler guys for flying private to beg for money.

County Mike

03-13-2009, 07:49 PM

I hope it gets her booted. She's one of the worst politicians ever.

Miss Foxy

03-13-2009, 07:51 PM

IMO once again her actions shall not represent the entire Democratic party. She's an idiot as it is I can admit that. :ninja:

Crisco

03-13-2009, 07:54 PM

You instantly become stupid when you get into politics..

J.B.

03-13-2009, 09:45 PM

Good point. I wonder if she was one of the members of Congress who blasted Ford/GM/Chrysler guys for flying private to beg for money.

She was one of the front runners in the bashing of the CEO's.

Pelosi is probably one of the most egotistical and irresponsible members of our government.

Moose

03-13-2009, 09:50 PM

I want someone that's in her position to get things done. Bush had a low rating in his last few years, but so did Congress. They accomplished nearly nothing.

medic92

03-13-2009, 10:18 PM

To be fair, after 9/11 congress started letting officials in government use military aircraft in order to ensure their safety. Pelosi, while possibly overusing and abusing the use, is only continuing the same policies of the previous administration.

rockdawg21

03-14-2009, 12:11 AM

To be fair, after 9/11 congress started letting officials in government use military aircraft in order to ensure their safety. Pelosi, while possibly overusing and abusing the use, is only continuing the same policies of the previous administration.
I'm all for that, but we should be discriminatory against that b****, as she doesn't help any causes except for her own :rotfl: